ARRL General Bulletin ARLB016 (2002)

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB016
ARLB016 Lone missing application holding up vanity system
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ARRL Bulletin 16 ARLB016
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT February 27, 2002
To all radio amateurs
SB QST ARL ARLB016
ARLB016 Lone missing application holding up vanity system
And then there was one. The FCC indicates that a lone missing paper
vanity call sign application filed last October is holding up the
resumption of routine vanity processing. Yesterday, the FCC
processed 33 vanity applications received last October 23 and 24.
Today it plans to run another 41 applications received October 25
and 26. Processing remains stalled beyond that receipt date,
however. FCC efforts, assisted by the ARRL, to contact the elusive
applicant to have the individual resubmit a vanity application have
proven difficult.
The FCC appears determined to hold off further processing until the
remaining applicant is given an opportunity to resubmit an
application and, thus, retain a place in the processing queue. No
amateur vanity call signs have been granted since February 1, when
applications received at the FCC October 22, 23 and 24 were
processed. The FCC later rescinded vanity grants for October 23 and
24, however, after it realized that it needed further information
for an October 23 application. Prior to late January, no vanity call
signs had been issued since October 30.
The ARRL has estimated that some 2050 vanity applications now are in
the FCC's processing pipeline--the majority of them filed
electronically. The FCC's policy is to give equal processing weight
to paper and electronic applications. Some two weeks' worth of
October paper vanity applications apparently were mislaid after mail
was sent off last fall for anthrax decontamination.
FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau personnel at the FCC's
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, office used information gleaned from
payment receipts to contact the known paper filers via e-mail or
telephone to have them resubmit copies of their vanity applications.
That effort--again with ARRL help--led to this week's vanity
processing.
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